Bespoke Team
Jennifer Sulentic serves as the Managing Director of BespokeCommunity Cooperatives, where she has been instrumental in shaping theorganization’s vision and strategic direction from its inception. With over 15years of experience in public sector cooperative contracting, Jennifer is arecognized leader in the field - known for her ability to drive innovation,build impactful partnerships, and deliver measurable value to public agencies,cooperatives and suppliers alike.
Her career includes a pivotal tenure at U.S. Communities, whereshe launched initiatives that improved supplier-buyer communication and savedpublic agencies millions of dollars. Today, she leads Bespoke’s efforts tosupport procurement professionals in creating joint procurements and moreeffective piggyback contracts, with a strong focus on engaging local businessesand underserved communities.
Jennifer is also a passionate and accomplished public speaker,frequently invited to share her insights at industry conferences, workshops,and leadership forums. Her ability to connect with audiences, simplify complexprocurement strategies, and inspire collaborative action has made her a trustedvoice in the public sector. Through her leadership and advocacy, she continuesto redefine cooperative purchasing as a powerful tool for equity, efficiency,and community impact.
Liz Fossett is an accomplished leader with two decades of experience driving impact across the government and non-profit sectors. She has spearheaded national initiatives and guided mission-driven organizations, including her tenure leading public sector membership associations such as the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators. In these roles, she advanced strategic priorities, expanded member engagement, and built strong coalitions across states and agencies.
Liz’s leadership extends to public service, where she served as Communications Director in Kentucky state government and as a Constituent Services Representative for a United States Congressperson. Across each role, she has built a reputation for bringing people together, elevating organizational visibility, and delivering measurable results that strengthen communities and institutions.
She holds a BS from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Kentucky. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Liz is committed to community, serving on her children’s PTO and previously volunteering with the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky.
Jessica Gassiyombo comes to Bespoke with over 12 years of experience bridging procurement, supplier management, marketing, and group organizing. She has managed multimillion-dollar projects, negotiated supplier agreements, and led cross-functional teams to deliver results for both government and corporate initiatives.
With a strong foundation in business and marketing, Jessica is skilled at building partnerships, fostering collaboration, and creating structures that help communities thrive. Her background in project management and her talent for connecting people make her a natural leader in organizing groups, streamlining processes, and driving community-focused initiatives forward.
Sarah Razor is a seasoned leader with more than 20 years ofexperience in state and local government, association management, and startups,where she has built a reputation for advancing public-sector partnerships,launching innovative programs, and driving sustainable growth.
Previously, as Executive Director of the National Association ofState Chief Administrators (NASCA), she led the organization through a periodof significant transformation—doubling revenues, reimagining its flagshipconference, and launching nationally recognized research initiatives. Herleadership established NASCA as a trusted platform for state leaders andcorporate partners alike. Most recently, Sarah served as a Director withGuidehouse, where she cultivated executive-level relationships and supportedgo-to-market strategies for government consulting.
Sarah also directed marketing and client engagement for HippoManager Software, where she successfully built and scaled a veterinary practicecoaching program, redefined the company’s brand presence, and improved leadgeneration through digital marketing strategies. Earlier in her career, sheguided external relations for the National Association of State ProcurementOfficials (NASPO), where she elevated the profile of the procurement professionthrough strategic partnerships, communications, and research collaborations.She also held leadership roles at the Kentucky League of Cities and the Councilof State Governments, where she specialized in government affairs, training,and policy research.
A Certified Association Executive (CAE), Sarah holds a Master ofPublic Administration from Eastern Kentucky University and a Bachelor of Artsin Integrated Strategic Communications from the University of Kentucky. She hasserved in numerous volunteer and governance roles, including as Board Chair ofthe Kentucky Nonprofit Network, Standing Committee member of the EpiscopalDiocese of Kentucky, and author of Chevy Chase Inn: Tall Tales and Cold Alesfrom Lexington’s Oldest Bar.
Sarah is passionate about building connections across the public,private, and nonprofit sectors—helping leaders harness collaboration, elevateprofessional development, and design strategies that create long-term impact.
Brian Selander is the CEO of Government Sourcing Solutions, celebrating its 15th year as the leading public procurement consulting firm helping companies expand their public sector footprint and governments and educational institutions innovate responsibly.
Mr. Selander’s public service includes time as Chief Strategy Officer to a Governor, Communications Director to a United States Senator, multi-state director on a presidential campaign and state legislative aide.
His private sector leadership includes years as the President of a fintech direct to consumer leasing company and COO of a young millennial focused media network that was acquired. He was the “Offensive Coordinator” of a digital sports network he helped launch and grow to a nine figure valuation that was Fast Company’s #3 Most Innovative in the World in video. He was Managing Director at a consulting firm where he led business development efforts through the company’s successful acquisition by a multi-billion dollar global IT firm where he later served as National Director of the Spend Management Solutions practice.
Brian is on the advisory boards of growth equity fund Catalyst, multiple companies and the non-profit Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation - HOBY. He was the first annual Entrepreneur in Residence at venture capital fund SeventySix Capital.
Mr. Selander graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University, earned a Masters with a 4.0 from the University of Pennsylvania where he taught for several years, completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard and has an executive MBA from the Quantic School of Technology.
Mike Smith brings over 23 years of state government experience to Government Sourcing Solutions. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for the State of Illinois’ Department of Central Management Services, running the State’s $7 billion supply chain organization, the Bureau of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement. Mike played a leading role in transforming the way goods and services are purchased in the State and in reducing the cost of government by over $200 million through the implementation of innovative and creative solutions. He increased the efficiency of Illinois’ fleet of vehicles by eliminating unnecessary vehicles, lowering maintenance costs and increasing the use of flexible fuel and hybrid vehicles.
Mike was also responsible for statewide travel programs for over 15 years helping to protect and save state agency travel budgets. Mike was elected by the fifty state procurement directors to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), chaired a number of NASPO’s committees and workgroups and has been a frequent presenter at national and regional NASPO conferences. Mike holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Economics from Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois
Michael G. Leahy comes to GovSourcing after serving as the Secretary of Information Technology and CIO for the State of Maryland in the Hogan administration. Active in the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) throughout his tenure in Maryland, Mr. Leahy is the immediate past president of the association and the former chair of the enterprise architecture forum and the privacy forum. He is also an active member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) where he is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP).
Jason Soza joins Government Sourcing Solutions with 20 years of experience in public procurement, starting as a frontline buyer for the State of Alaska and going on to be appointed as Chief Procurement Officer in 2013. In this role, Jason was responsible for the oversight of all goods and services purchases, inventory, and property disposal by all executive branch agencies across a very geographically diverse and challenging state.
During this time, Jason undertook a number of initiatives to transform Alaska's procurement function, starting with the formation of a cross-agency procurement officer group to increase communication and idea sharing. By breaking down historically-siloed agency spend and fostering new inter-agency relationships, Jason brought nearly 50% more spend under management of the central procurement office, resulting in hundreds of millions in additional savings over his tenure.
Building on this, Jason led several statewide process improvement projects that resulted in an ongoing $7 million in annual savings. These efforts were recognized with the State of Alaska being awarded the Gold George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), the top award for state procurement innovation.
Jason has also been very active in advancing the public procurement profession on the national level and has held numerous leadership positions with NASPO, including Chair of the Emerging Issues Committee, Chair of the Governance & Oversight Committee, Director-at-Large/Research & Innovation Champion, and President-Elect. Additionally, Jason has authored and contributed to a number of publications, such as the most recent edition NASPO's State & Local Government Procurement: A Practical Guide and a research paper published by the Harvard Kennedy School titled "Cooperative Procurement: Today's Contracting Tool/Tomorrow's Contracting Strategy."
As well as holding both CPPO and CPPB professional procurement certifications, Jason also earned and holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification issued by the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
In his off time, Jason enjoys a wide range of pastimes and on any given day you might find him on the ice as a hockey goalie, cooking up something delicious in the kitchen, jamming out on guitar, practicing his carpentry skills, or out fishing.
Mitzi Loftus has spent over 30 years working directly in government for the State of Illinois. During this time, she gained experience in a variety of different leadership roles, between procurement, IT, and finance.
Her career in government started in the finance office, working with cost allocation, budgets, and financial systems. In 1999 she started her procurement path, where she was initially working on IT and telecom procurements, then moving into the State’s procurement system administrator and procurement helpdesk manager. Eventually, Mitzi became the Deputy Director of Illinois Central Management Services, where she functionally served as Statewide Procurement Director for three years.
In the private sector, Mitzi worked for CGI Technologies where she was the National Governmental Procurement Delivery Director, with responsibilities over the entire country. She participated in the State of Michigan’s implementation of its statewide ERP system and then was a subject matter expert, as support to the sales team. Later, she would join Periscope as a Sales Director, taking direct charge of sales for over half of the country, for their e-procurement system. In both roles, Mitzi worked directly with governments to help identify procurement best practices across the country.
After heading to the private sector, Mitzi came back to the state where she served as the Chief of Staff at the Illinois State Police, Office of Finance for two and half years. While in that role, she oversaw procurement, accounts payable, assets and inventory, state-wide asset seizure and forfeiture, rollout of new agency-wide ERP programs, and agency-wide audits.
Mitzi has been an active member of NIGP, (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing) for the past 9 years. She has served on their Finance Council, along with the Audit and Forum Committees. Most recently she has become a mentor to new and emerging procurement leaders across the country taking a role in the NIGP Mentorship Program.
Mitzi holds a Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University (Economics/Business), along with her CPPO from UPPCC.
Born and raised in Springfield Illinois, Mitzi resides there, with her husband Jamie, two adult sons and their families, along with her toy poodle Sassafras and her cat Blue. She has one adored granddaughter, Monroe. She loves to travel and visit friends across the country. When she gets the chance, she loves to go boating with her family.
Benny Thottam joined GovSourcing following his tenure as Chief Information Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Technology at the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
In that role, he led the department’s long-term technology strategy, ensuring alignment with the broader goals of New York City. He oversaw the development and implementation of new systems, modernized existing applications, and managed the daily operations of the Bureau of Technology.
Prior to FDNY, Mr. Thottam had a distinguished 20-year career in New York State government, serving as CIO for both the State Education Department and the Department of Labor. Earlier in his career, he was Deputy CIO for the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
Dan Ross spent fourteen years working for the State of Oklahoma with the last seven as the Administrator of Capital Assets Management. In this role, Ross served as the state’s chief administrator over many areas of government including Real Estate, Construction, Facilities, Fleet, Risk, Planning, Print, and Surplus. In addition, he was a key member and driving force behind initiatives aimed at bringing smarter spending and more efficient operations to the state.
His career in government began in Energy Management where programs he oversaw were considered cutting edge at the time. The State of Oklahoma was one of the first public entities to have buildings EnergyStar Certified and added LEED Buildings to his record. His career was then catapulted into roles that brought statewide contracts to political subdivisions, served as a top advisor to the Secretary of Finance, and was responsible for the start up of a new agency. This proven track record of success eventually led to him being named the Capital Assets Administrator.
Ross represented Oklahoma at the national level as the state member for the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) where he served on various committees and panels. He spent two years on the Executive Council where he worked with fellow chief administrators in creating NASCA’s strategic plan and rebranding efforts. He was a proud host of the NASCA Institute and is passionate about the importance of such an organization.
Ross holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration as well as being a graduate of the Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma’s Executive Development Program for State Officials.
Dan and his wife, Tiffany, have two young daughters and enjoy being active and engaged in community events. They also enjoy traveling and consider scuba diving a prime hobby.
Rick Hughes comes to us after a career of procurement leadership with three states, Arizona, Illinois and Wisconsin. After leading Wisconsin’s Procurement Office for seven years, Rick joined Arizona in 2018 as the Deputy State Procurement Administrator. In the role, he assisted in rebuilding the State Procurement Office (SPO) which establishes the contracts for equipment, commodities, professional services, information technology and operations to support government services in Arizona. He also had a leadership role In Illinois procurement as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director. Later he was appointed to serve on the Executive Ethics Commission. Rick’s focus, in all three states, was to assure integrity in the process, raise awareness of procurement practices and rules and increase professionalism among practitioners, clients, and the supplier community.
He served as Treasurer of the NASPO ValuePoint purchasing cooperative and on its Management Board as a Regional Representative for about 5 years.
Prior to government, Rick had a breadth of financial, legal and accounting experience working for large and small firms and even owned his own law and consulting firm.
His commitment to the public procurement profession was also carried out when he served on the Board of Directors of the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) representing NASPO for multiple terms ending December 2020. Rick earned his law degree from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Law and graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a major in accounting.
Jason Hebbe has over 31 years of Information Technology experience and spent over 12 years working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania serving in various Information Technology leadership roles that include Chief Operations Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer. In all of these roles he was responsible for developing, supporting and executing against enterprise information technology strategic goals to meet the business needs for all agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction as well as many independent agencies, boards and commissions.
Hebbe is a technologist at heart and has a passion for working collaboratively with business leaders to identify where and how technology can add value. He obtained the Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIOTM) from Harrisburg University. Over the years, he has been an active member of the National Association of Chief Information Officers and the National Association of State Technology Directors, in which he served as NASTD Eastern Region Vice President and President from 2021-2022.
Some of Hebbe’s accomplishments over the years include the coordination and negotiation of several large enterprise contracts that generated over $5M in cost savings each year, implementation of a secure and highly available hybrid multi-cloud environment and assisting agencies with application modernization and cloud migrations that saved over $3M per year.
Hebbe resides in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania with his wife and they enjoy traveling, the great outdoors and actively serving in their church.
Greg Zickau has extensive experience as a technology executive with state government and the US military. Serving in the US Air Force for 25 years and in Idaho government for nearly 20 years, Greg focused his career on building organizations and developing individual leaders to effect positive change.
Recently retired from Idaho state government, Greg served as Chief Technology Officer and as Chief Information Officer for most of his tenure and briefly as Chief Financial Officer. He was a leading catalyst for consolidating common technology functions and successfully converted increased efficiency into critical new functions.
While in the USAF, Greg was part of a select team that traveled with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. He wrote communications maintenance policy for Air Combat Command and had a lead role in building and managing complete communications systems for two desert air bases, including one as part of America’s initial military response to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Greg’s other professional experiences are varied. He has served on several governing boards, including the National Association of Chief Information Officers, the Idaho Regional Optical Network, and the Idaho Technology Authority. He is an adjunct professor for Boise State University, where he teaches HON 392 Character and Leadership for the Honors College.
Greg holds a master’s degree in business administration from George Fox University. He was recognized as one of GovTech’s “Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers” for 2021. His military decorations include the Bronze Star, four Meritorious Service Medals, three Air Force Commendation Medals, and three Air Force Achievement Medals.
Away from work, Greg pursues a variety of interests centered on his family and church. He works daily to improve himself mentally, physically, and spiritually. A favorite indulgence is a 50-mile bicycle ride in the beautiful Boise area.
David Couvillon is retired but does do consulting work. He was born in Lafayette, LA in 1956 and currently lives in Brusly, LA. Married to Peggy Starling, they have 4 grown children and four grandsons and three granddaughters.
David graduated from Port Allen High School in 1974 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After 2 years, he was released from active duty and attended Louisiana State University where he received a BS degree in Business Management in 1982.
During this time, David maintained his affiliation with the U.S. Marine Corps as a member of the Marine Corps Reserves. A combat veteran of two wars, David commanded an infantry battalion in in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, David was the Military Provincial Governor for Wasit Province in Iraq. David retired from the Marines in 2014 after 39 years’ faithful service to our country.
After graduating LSU, David began his business life as an Assistant Vice President with Fidelity/Hibernia National Bank in Baton Rouge overseeing security and fraud protection for the Credit Card Division. He was instrumental in developing software, now a standard process worldwide, to identify suspect credit card purchases. David next spent 24 years with Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield in in the Medicare Division leading teams in Claims Processing, EDI, Enrollment, and Review over five states. He also was Regional Vice President with Weiser Security Services for two years, leading the Western Region (4 states) to become the leading region in the company, even in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As the Operations Manager for Xerox handling a document archiving contract with the State of Louisiana for one year, David eliminated a severe backlog for the Department of Children and Family Services.
As the Director of Office of Group Benefits with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana for 5 years, David presided over a re-orientation of workload and staff that has led to Claims, Customer Service and Membership & Billing substantially meeting the Service Level Agreements of the BCBSLA’s largest contract.
As CEO with the Office of Group Benefits, David oversaw health and life insurance for over 240,000 lives of Louisiana state employees, retirees, and dependents, as well as affiliated public agencies.
His community interests are many as well. David is a volunteer, member and officer in many organizations and activities such as the Marine Corps League (Past Detachment Commandant), Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars (Jr. Vice Commandant), American Legion; Reserve Officer Association (Past Department of Louisiana Commander); Military Order of the World Wars (past Vice-President); Military Officers Association of America, Boy Scouts of America, Spirit of America (Special advisor), and the Baton Rouge Blues Society (Past President), as well as on the Parish Council for St John the Baptist Catholic Church. He is also currently on the Board of Directors for the West Baton Rouge Historical Association and President of the West Baton Rouge Museum; the Board of Directors for the Slim Harpo Music Awards; the Board of Directors Baton Rouge Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Foundation; and, Commissioner with Louisiana Naval War Museum (USS Kidd). Additionally, he speaks to other organizations and schools about the Marine Corps, veterans’ affairs, and patriotism. His personal awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Award), Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon (2nd Award), Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Organized Marine Corps Reserve Medal (8th award), and Armed Services Reserve Medal (3rd Award). David was inducted into the Cadets of the Ole War Skule (LSU) Hall of Honor in 2006; and is the 2014 recipient of the “Slim Harpo Ambassador Award.”
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